Page 45 of Land of Shadow

“I’ll take a free beer anytime.” I lean against the wall and tap my fingers along the bottle.

“Good to know. I’ll add it to my list.”

“You have a list?”

He smiles. “About you? Definitely.”

Okay, so the thing I said about not blushing in front of Gage evaporates. “I mean, that’s not creepy or anything.” I roll my eyes.

“Not creepy. I’m just thorough, is all.” His gaze slides down my body and back up, and I don’t miss the double entendre.

What the hell is happening right now? I swallow thickly, unsure of how to respond.

Thankfully, the elevator opens.

I honestly think IfeelValen before I see him.

“Get out.” He snarls at Gage, advancing on him until they’re nearly nose to nose.

I almost drop my beer. “What the?—”

“I was just leaving,” Gage snaps back, the edge in his tone sharp enough to gut a man, his entire demeanor changing from one breath to the next. He sidesteps Valen and enters the elevator, then turns crisply with a smirk on his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Doc.”

“Stay the fuck away from her.” Valen follows him and grips the doors, preventing them from closing.

Something passes between them, something too quiet for me to hear despite my rapt attention. Then Valen steps back and lets the doors shut.

He whirls on me. “What was he doing here?”

I gape at him. “You havegotto be fucking kidding. You don’t get a say in who I have in my room. I don’t even know you. You don’t know me. How many times am I going to have to tell you to get over yourself?” I spin and march back to the kitchen, finishing my beer on the way.

“He brought that?” He’s now seething right behind me.

I ignore him and find a knife, then slit the label and glance at the inside. Sure enough, there are figures in code written there. “It’s really good, actually. If you want to know where to get some for yourself, here’s the label.”

He swipes it from my hand, and it’s gone in an instant, pocketed away.

“Now, if I remember correctly,youare supposed to bring me something too.” I cross my arms and glare up at him. “Where is it?”

He looms over me, his tone eerily calm as he says, “I don’t want him alone with you in here ever again.”

“I don’t want to have to deal with your smug face ever again, but here we are.” I hold out my hand, palm up. “Sample.”

He doesn’t move.

“Unless you’ve changed your mind and will agree to me drawing your blood?” I press. “I can go get my kit right now.”

He slips his hand into his pocket and draws out a vial, but he doesn’t offer it to me. “Promise me you won’t allow him in here alone with you.”

“That’s not our deal.” I can barely contain my outrage. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? “Our deal is I do the research, you provide the blood. So either give it to me or I’m calling Juno.” I hate how fucking weak that sounds, like ‘I’ll tell my big sister on you’, but it’s all I have—and it’s an empty threat at best.

He grits his teeth, his jaw tense as he reluctantly passes me the vial.

I yelp when he grabs my wrist and twists it around my back. “Don’t for one moment think you have the upper hand here, Doctor. You don’t. And you never will.” He presses me backward until my ass hits the island, his grip sure but not painful as he scowls down at me. His hard body meets mine as he leans closer, caging me in as his lips graze my ear. “If I catch him in here again, I want you to know his blood will be on your hands.”

“You’re insane.” I try to yank my hand away but get nowhere. “You don’t fucking own me!” I yell. “I can talk to whoever I want. Hell, if I wanted to fuck him, I?—”

Now his grip does hurt. Just enough to make me snap my mouth closed. “Disobey me at his peril.” He releases me and stalks out of the kitchen.

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